REFLEXIVITY
CONCLUSIONS
1. Wild, R. (1985): Essentials of Production and Operation Management, (London), Holt Rinehart and Winston
2. Hill, T, (1993): The Strategic Management of the Manufacturing Function, 2nd edition, (London), MacMillan
3. Needle, David (1999):Business in Context, (London), Thomson Business Press
TABLE OF CONTENT
1.0. Introduction - - - - 79
2.0. Objectives - - - - 79
3.0. System Operations - - - - 79
3.1 Operations Planning - - - - 79
3.2 Operations Control - - - - 79-80
3.3 Scheduling - - - - 80
3.4 Self Assessment Question - - - - 81
3.5 Self Assessment Answer - - - - 81
4.0 Conclusion - - - - 82
5.0 Summary - - - - 82
6.0 Tutor Marked Assignment - - - - 83
6.1 Tutor Marked Assignment (Question and Marking Scheme)- - 83
7.0 References - - - - 84
1.0 INTRODUCTION
The unit will consider production system operation vis-à-vis operations planning operations control and scheduling.
2.0 OBJECTIVES
At the end of the unit, students should be able to:
(i) Explain operations planning.
(ii) State the aims of scheduling.
(iii) Identify various types of operations control.
3.0 SYSTEM OPERATION 3.1 OPERATIONS PLANNING
The primary aim of operation planning is to ensure that sufficient goods or services are produced to meet demand. Management must decide whether goods are to be produced to stock or to order. A vehicle company could decide as a matter of policy that all vehicles are ordered by manufacture or produce various models of vehicle and sell them. Whatever the system that is adopted, some elements of flexibility must be introduced, such that can enhance greater operating efficiency.
Operations planning necessarily overlaps with issues of capacity planning. Where an organization provides standardized or customized items, then the need to produce to stock or order is vital. The problem of producing to order may be more pronounced in service industries such as fast food outlets. If the policy is to produce to order, then the management must brace up for a possible delay in meeting the customer’s needs at the same time.
Where goods are produced to stock, the food items such as meat pie and hamburger that are not sold must be discarded after some time.
3.2 OPERATIONS CONTROL
Five types of control are identified. The forms of control identified overlap. As with any type of control system, the managers of the system must determine the standards that are to operate.
(1) Quantity Control: This is sometimes referred to as production control or progress chasing. It ensures that the through put of goods and services goes according to the planned schedule.
(2) Quality Control: This ensures that the quality of the furnished product or service meets the standards set in the design stage and meet with approval of customer.
(3) Technology Control: This pertains to the maintenance of plants and equipment. It is applicable in all types of organization. The major challenge here is to decide when an equipment is in need of service. Maintenance should not be haphazard, it should be ordered.
(4) Labour Cost: The prime focus here are, what should be the extent and style of supervision and the type of incentive to be used to generate the right response and co-operation from the labour force?
(5) Cost Control: This is essentially an accounting function. It entails the collection and analysis of data on material, operating equipment and labour cost and comparisons made with previously determined standard costing.
3.3 SCHEDULING
The primary aim of scheduling is to balance the costs of production against demands for goods and services to ensure that demand is met in the most efficient way possible.
A key strategic consideration here is load-levelling which ensure that work is distributed as evenly as possible throughout the workforce, over the entire year and making efficient use of available equipment. Techniques or themes preferred to ensure optimal solution to the problems of production planning and scheduling includes:
• Queuing theory
• Linear programming
• Operation research.
3.4 SELF ASSESSMENT QUESTION
Mention and explain the techniques used to ensure optimal solution to the problem of scheduling.
3.5 SELF ASSESSMENT ANSWER The techniques are:
• Queuing theory
• Linear programming
• Operation research.
NB: Brief explanations required.
4.0 CONCLUSION
System operation is a key aspect of the production system. It consists of operation planning, operation control and scheduling.
5.0 SUMMARY
The key aspects system operations are:
(i) Operation, planning which is primarily concerned with ensuring that sufficient goods or services are produced to meet demand.
(ii) Operation control, which consists of:
• Quantity control
• Quality control
• Technology control
• Labour cost
• Cost control.
(iii) Scheduling, which is aimed at balancing the cost of production against demand for goods and services.
6.0 TUTOR MARKED ASSIGNMENT
State and explain the various types of operations control.
6.1 TUTOR MARKED ASSIGNMENT (ANSWERS AND MARKING SCHEME) The types of operations control are:
• Quantity control
• Quality control
• Technology control
• Labour cost
• Cost control.
MARKING SCHEME 2 marks for each type named 2 marks for each explanation
[Total – 20 marks]
7.0 REFERENCES
1. Needle, David (1999): Business in Context, (London), Thomson Business Press
2. Hill, T., (1993): The Strategic Management of the Manufacturing Function, Manufacturing Strategy:
2nd edition, (London), Macmillan